"Shshshshhshshs~"
Deep, deep, in her mind, the small little voice giggled.
"Shshshshshshshsh....How sweet...."
It always whispered. It so faint. Far too faint. She could not understand it at all. Yet, it was there. Always there.... her mind gripped at everything to keep that string of sanity intact. Still....
"Don't you want this to be over...
[ ----- ]
"YOU FOOL!!!"
As if time stopped with the sound of a single heart pulse, Arisa saw the world become slow through her eyes. The cackling slowed down; her father's running steps began to become still as stone. The snow that he stepped on became still in the air. The looks of horror became frozen on the faces of the adults. The children looking their direction in shock. The small yet barely noticeable smirk Cornelia had turned to one of shock. Dimitri's face of terror was still as stone. Everything around her became still as stone. The entire place turned purple, seeming as time swirled back.
"What?" Arisa looked around the area she was in, she quickly stood up, recognizing the stone room.
"What were you thinking you fool?!" Sothis roared down from her throne as she abruptly stood up and pointed a finger down at her like some executioner.
"I'm sorry!! It was the first reaction I had!!!" Arisa countered back.
She really did not wish to face or ever see the wrath of Sothis in her life.
"Honestly, what are you accomplishing with that little stunt?! It's like you're trying to get me killed, you fool!!" Sothis yelled furiously.
She really was furious. This idiot thinks she could save the child by giving her life?! Has she forgotten that the two of them are one?! That technically they are the same person!!?
"I'm sorry." Arisa muttered as she looked down to the ground in shame.
It was just that natural instinct to protect someone. It was something that was always with her. It's always her first reaction when she sees someone she cares about in danger. That instinct to protect.
"Sigh...well it's fine. After all, if you don't know the value of your own life, you're not going to protect it very well, are you? " Sothis sighed as she sat back down and rubbed her eyes.
"Sigh...course not. Ha!! Such arrogance!! You may be an adult spiritually but are you truly one?!" The goddess scolds the girl.
Arisa gritted her teeth. Did she value her life? No... she does...does she?
"You pushed the young boy and let the tree branch fall on you!!!" She said.
"Yet, all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for now. You would have died had I not intervened." Sothis sighed with arms crossed.
"Think hard what your next move will be. The position of the assassin. The position of the boy. The distance. The speed. The earth. The wind. The scent. The touch. Think of every single detail before you take the next steps. This is only temporary." Sothis said as she saw the gears in the girl turn.
Arisa nodded and then it hit her. That's it...that's it!!!
"Sothis, I know what to do but you're still going to be mad at me most likely." She said.
"It better not cost us our life." The goddess argued angrily.
"No, it won't. At most a few bruises." Arisa said with a nervous chuckle.
"Already more damage?! How many bruises?!" Sothis said.
[---]
The hands of time were turned back before Arisa's eyes. She saw how the tree branch mend it's back. The assassin's laugh sounded strange backwards as did all the voices of the adults yelling. The people that were running towards her and Dimitri went backwards. The looks of shock and horror returned to neutral ones. The children turned their attention back to Red Hare. Everything felt so strange. The color returned to normal as time resumed once more. This time, she was ready. The tree branch began to crack and this time, Arisa sent a surge of magic through her body and lunged towards Dimitri. The tree branch was a few inches from falling on both but not this time. Shock filled the boy as warm arms wrapped around him tightly. She held him to her chest and twisted her body. Making sure her back hit the tree trunk.
"AAAHH!!" She screamed as the air was completely knocked out of her lungs.
Her actions completely threw off the assassin as their eyes widened in shock as he watched from his spot.
"BYLETH/DIMITRI!!"
The tree branch fell a few inches away from them and Dimitri was in shock as he stared at it. Arisa's hood had fallen off and he saw her face in pain, gritting her teeth, her warm grip around him tightened as she held him to her chest. Her lungs burned but she screamed with all her might. She isn't letting that son of bitch a get away!!!
"AN ASSASSIN IS HERE!!! THEY ARE IN THE TREES!!! THEY ARE IN THE TREES!!" She screamed out and the assassin flinch at this, making a run for it.
"There!!" Sandy yelled as she saw him jump over one of the tombstones.
"Capture them!!" King Lambert ordered as he, Rodrigue, Sandy and Jerelt ran after them.
"Florencio, help the prince and Byleth!! The rest of you protect the others!!" Jeralt order the knights and his team.
King Lambert and Jeralt both had one goal in their mind. To capture the bastard that dared harm their children. Arisa groaned at the horrible pain she had gotten on her back. She didn't care right now but looked down worried to the scared to death prince. Dimitri was shaking in her arms and she hugged him more closely to her.
"It's alright, it's alright, you're safe. You're safe." She whispered words of comfort to him.
She would do this all her siblings, regardless of their age. Even her parents and friends when they needed comfort. The young boy looked up to her and she smiled kindly to him. He couldn't help but feel warmth rise in his face as he saw the radiant smile the girl gave him.
"It's okay." She placed her forehead onto his as she spoke softly, "You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you. You're safe Dimitri. It's okay." She spoke like a mother comforting her child after they had a nightmare.
"Are you two alright!!?" Florencio ran up to them, beyond worried and next to him was also Cornelia, who looked worried.
Truthfully, Arisa asked herself why that woman was joining her uncle.
"We're okay. I'm j---hisss!!" Arisa hissed once she felt the full effect now.
"Aaarrghhh!!!" She yelled out as she felt her back pulsing and perhaps a few scratches that were most likely bleeding.
"Florencio correct?" Cornelia said and the man nodded.
"Please take the prince. I am a doctor also. I'll need to check her. Seems she took a full blow on her back. I'm worried it might have hurt her spine." The woman said.
"Alright." He nodded and turned to the children, "Your highness, please come with me." He said softly.
Dimitri shook his head and held tighter onto Arisa. No way, no way, no way!!! He didn't want to let her go!!! No, he would not!!! She's hurt!! It felt like it was his fault and that he needed to stay with her!!
"Your highness, please." Florencio said.
The boy was stubborn and tighten his grip. Well, hello there Crest of Blaiddyd......? (Arisa: Oh nooooo...!!!!) The boy glared and Florencio swore he felt a small spike of magic rise from the boy. And this greatly worried him. After all, all those of Blaiddyd bloodline, regardless if they had a Crest or not, had the strange gift of inhuman strength. Don't tell him the boy already grew an attachment to his niece?! The girl saw the predicament going on and mentally sighed. Sothis was cackling. Arisa turned to the prince and spoke softly. She be damned if he accidentally broke her spine from hugging her too tightly.
"It's alright." She smiled as she gently removed his arms from her, "The doctors are going to make sure I'm okay. They want to make sure I didn't break my back. I promise we'll see each other again. Okay?" Arisa said.
Dimitri was hesitant until she gently cupped his cheeks and placed her forehead on his.
"I'll be okay little one. I promise." She said once more.
Dimitri looked back and forth between the adults and her but eventually nodded and went to Florencio. As the boy took the older man's hand and walked with him to join his friends and siblings, he stopped for a moment to look back at the girl that saved his life. Cornelia had picked her up and saw the girl in pain. He was worried. He really was.
- A few minutes later -
In a room that was neatly cleaned, a few beds spread out like they were in a nurse's office, at a table not too far, Cornelia went through the shelves, picking at the jars and taking out a few medical herbs from them. She had asked the girl to remove her dress to have a better look at the injury she had suffered. Indeed, it was a bad one. A few scratched but luckily very little bleeding. Still, the bruise was bad. Arisa laid on her stomach on one of the beds with the back of her dress open, fully displaying the giant purple bruise. She was muttering a mountain of profanities in Spanish and Japanese, but thankful no one understood a single word she was saying.
"I hate this......" she internally groaned into a pillow and Sothis appeared.
"And who's fault is that?! First off, when you said a few bruises, I thought you meant maybe on the shoulder. You didn't tell me it was your whole back!!!" Sothis growled.
Arisa rolled her eyes as she turned her head to the left as she watched Cornelia grind the herbs using magic and then mixing them to become a smooth green paste. Her eyes wandered around and she honestly questioned why the hell is there a whole guest manner in a cemetery? Then again, this is the royal family she is talking about. She wasn't paying attention when Cornelia was behind her till, she felt a surge of pain on her back as she felt something cool touch it.
"Ooowww!!" Arisa screeched as Cornelia applied cream on her bare back.
She hissed loudly and struggled to stay still as Cornelia also used spell to help the bruise heal faster. Magic can only do so much from the outside. It can't do much internally. That's were Arisa's modern knowledge comes to play. She'll use it eventually.
"Hold still. You hit yourself quite badly on the root of the tree. Sigh....the cream should help with bruising and the spell I cast should make the healing process faster." Cornelia said as she placed a small bandage pad on.
The woman's hand froze.
"How....interesting..." she thought as she felt a strange sense of magic from this girl and wanted to investigate but couldn't because she suddenly felt a horrible sense of dread at the back of her neck.
She could not see that it was Sothis who looked at her coldly with a glare that many would say would be the wrath of the goddess. Sothis would not allow a single person to dare hurt this girl. Arisa sighed as she sat back up and Cornelia helped her closed her dress.
"Thank you miss." She said and slightly bowed to her as she got off the bed.
"It is no problem. You saved the prince's life. Hopefully they have caught that Assassin by now." Cornelia smiled kindly.
Both of them walked back to the hall where the others were. Arisa braced herself for a yelling once she opened the doors but what happened next, threw her off completely.
When they arrived, Arisa got tackled down by an army of 4 kids and one foal.
"Gaaahhh!!" She screeched loudly as she was knocked down to the floor.
"Wawawwwhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa!!!" She heard crying and began to frantically waving her hands as she saw it was Sylvain, Ingrid, Felix, Dimitri and one sadly/crying Red Hare.
"Sis are you okay?!" Ingrid cried; her hair was a bit of a mess.
"Are you hurt?!" Sylvain said, worried.
"You're not dying, are you?!" Dimitri looked her frantically and she shook her head.
"Biiggg sssiisss!!" Felix cried and it was honestly cute.
Arisa laughed nervously as she had them back away a bit so she could breathe.
"I'm okay everyone. Really." She said a bit worried as she gently patted their heads till she was about to walk over to Dimitri.
The boy had the same idea. Dimitri walked up to her, bowed his head to her.
"Please raise your head!!" Arisa screeched as she saw a few people gasping.
Gustav couldn't help but chuckle as he saw this. It was something that ran within the royal family.
"Thank you so much!! Are you okay?" Dimitri asked worried.
He blushed a bit as she felt her warm hand pat his head. She nodded and spoke.
"I'm alright your highness. I'm just glad you are safe. It is my job as a mercenary to ensure your safety as well as your family and friends. Hope that...unwelcome guest has been caught." Arisa bowed to him.
Dimitri was about to speak when the doors to the hall open. King Lambert along with Jeralt and Rodrigue came in. She saw that Sandy wasn't with them and noticed about 2 knights and two people from her father's team missing.
"The Assassin has been restrained and will be taken to dungeon back at them kingdom for further interrogation. They won't speak easily so we have two mercenaries for extra reinforcement." Rodrigue announced as Florencio walked up to Jeralt and the two began discussing among themselves what they were going to do to the bastard.
Arisa sighed in relief as she heard that. She was more than happy that the assassin was caught. Though no one noticed but Sothis did, because she chose to appear and watch over her friend, Cornelia "tch." She hid the sour scold she had with her feathered fan.
"Arisa, keep an eye on that woman Cornelia. Seems she has a bone to pick with the King." Sothis said as she flew behind her and hugged her neck like she usually does.
At this, Arisa narrowed her eyes slightly. She swears if that hag is already making plans... She didn't notice that the king along with his two other children had come towards her till Dimitri said "Dad!"
"Your highness!!" She quickly vowed to him as did the other children.
"Raise you head child. Thank you for saving my son. I don't know how I can ever repay you." King Lambert smiled at her kindly and ruffled her hair.
"Thanks for saving my little brother. Hope you aren't hurt too badly." The older boy said.
His blonde hair was a bit spiky and it reminded her of Corrin for some reason. He had brown colored eyes instead. Most likely from his mother.
"Thank you thank you!!! Big brother safe!!!" The little girl said.
She had one blue eye and one brown eye; her blonde hair was in twin curled pigtails.
"There is nothing to repay your highnesses. I am just glad the prince is safe. That is more than enough." She said as she lightly vowed once more.
"What is your name?" Dimitri asked.
Arisa was hesitant but looked over to her father, worried. He nodded and she was still worried. Would it be a sin if she gave her original name instead of the birth name she has in this world?
"My name is...Kiana." and that idea went out the window because her dumbass chose to give the name of one of her favorite characters in Honkai Impact 3 instead.
Jeralt smacked his hand over his face and groans. The other 4, Ingrid, Sylvain, Felix and Glenn were confused at this, but Glenn stopped the others before they said anything. He honestly wanted to see what would go down.
"Hmmm.....nope you're lying!!" The little blonde one grinned and walked up to her.
"I'm Lestia!!!! The one with the porcupine hair is my big brother Zander and you already met my little brother Dimitri (Dimitri: I'm older than you by 5 minutes!!!)!! Now, what's yours?" The girl is now known as Lestia smiled.
"Sigh....you got me. It's Arisa. I was honestly wanted to do a small joke." She chuckled as the girl smiled to her.
"Yup!! There!! Now...." she grabbed her hand, suddenly grabbed Dimitri's hands and put them together.
"Brother, you may now kiss the bride!" Lestia said happily.
The king could not help but laugh at the faces his sons and Arisa was making. Poor Jeralt felt it was far too early for something like this to happen in his daughter's life.
- On the way back to the Palace: Inside the Royal Carriage -
"Nice going Lestia!!! I think you just made that girl hate us!!" Zander said to his younger sister as she sat next to their father, who was chuckling.
"No, I did not!!!" Lestia argued back.
Their uncle, Rufus, sighed at this as he watched his niece and nephews argue with one another. Her turned to his younger brother and spoke.
"Anyhow, I heard from Rodrigue that you offered Jeralt a position as a general of the Kingdom Knights, since he is a former Knight of Serios. Can't say I'm for the idea but he has proved his skills along with the rest of his companions." Rufus said.
"I did. He rejected it." King Lambert laughed.
Rufus did a double take and looked at his younger brother shocked.
"He did what?!" Rufus said shocked.
"A position offered to him, by you!! The king, and he turned it down?! Is the man mad or such?! Who on earth would turn down such a position?!" Rufus said.
King Lambert smiled but shook his head. The children were silent as they heard the adults speak.
"It is alright. He honestly had a good reason." He said as he looked out the window as did Rufus.
Jeralt was riding his horse and with him was his daughter, who seemed excited. Next to them, flying not too far, was the small red pegasus. He saw them talking with the man named Florencio and the woman named Sandy. Rufus sighed, as he finally understood.
"For the sake of his family. He is already where he belongs." Rufus said as he couldn't help but smile sadly and shake his head as he turned back to his brother.
"I still think he would have made a wonderful addition to the Kingdom." Rufus said.
Dimitri looked out the window and stared at the loving family. He saw her laughing and even scolded sometimes. She protected him and she called him by his name, not his highness. The only reason she did call him that was because there were either adults present.
"Brother likes her~" Lestia teased.
"I do not." Dimitri pouted.
Zander sighed. He was the oldest of the three. He was the same age as Glenn.
"Hey uncle," he turned to Rufus and smirked, "That lady Sandy, she's single. Think I got a chance?" Unfortunately, he and Sylvain were very much alike.
Damn skirt chasers.
"You and Sylvain have been together for too long....." Dimitri grumbled.
King Lambert sent a glare to his older brother who just looked away. Lestia was just confused at this and looked over to the girl named Arisa.
"Hey Dimitri," she said, "I like her. She seems fun." Lestia smiled.
- Outside -
"We'll be going up ahead to pack all our belongings. Byleth, are all your things in your bag?" Sandy said from her horse and the girl nodded.
"Yup!! All set!!! Also, sneak me some butter cake from the kitchen." Arisa whispered that last sentence because Jakob was only 4 horses away from them.
Jeralt, Sandy and Florencio chuckled at this and the woman nodded before she with Florencio's team went off.
"Kiddo, how are you feeling? Is your back alright?" Jeralt said to her and she nodded.
"It stings a little but the medicine the court mage used helped a lot." She said, referring to Cornelia.
"I see. Truthfully, I was scared I nearly lost you." He said and she hugged him tightly.
"I'm okay Papa!!! I'll be more careful from now on. Also....am I still in trouble because of the fight...?" She laughed a bit nervously.
"Yes, you are. You're grounded. Curfew is at 8pm and no sweets for a week." Jeralt stated.
Arisa looked like someone just murdered her the minute she heard she wasn't allowed any sweets. Even Sothis was in horror.
"PLEASE, ANYTHING ELSE BUT MY SWEETS!!!" She begged.
Not too far away, Jakob had a satisfied smile.
- In Cornelia's Carriage -
The older woman stared out to the young dark-haired green girl. She felt it. That girl held a Crest in her blood. Yet, seems she has yet to awaken it completely. Perhaps she may be needed a push. She shook her head. No, that would not work. Cornelia rubbed the back of her neck. It felt like someone was burning their stare into her soul when she was about to use a small amount of her magic to trigger the Crest within the girl earlier that day.
"Tch." Really, the assassin had to mess up.
If it wasn't for that girl, the prince would be dead. She would have focused her attention to the twin sister since she bore a minor Crest, but she did not know if it was one of Blaiddyd. It is confirmed that it is possible for one of Blaiddyd bloodlines to bare a Crest of Riegan. But the chances are lower that 1%. The older prince was useless because he bore no crest. What's more he was nothing but a laid-back fool and skirt chaser like his uncle.
Then there was her.......
That....girl of House Martritz.....
Once more she sho----
"Hmmm..hmm..hmm~" Cornelia turned her head to the young girl that sat across from her, humming a cheerful toon as she was knitting.
"Hmmhmm~" the girl hummed as she didn't notice the stare her mother was giving her.
"Ymir." Cornelia spoke coldly and the girl flinched, looking up to her.
"Yes mother?" The girl now known as Ymir said.
"Why did you bring your knitting kit?" She asked.
"I-I felt it was going to take a long time to get to the cemetery so...I decided to knit to pass time. Also....Ingrid wanted me to teach her how to knit. To make a scarf for...Glenn..." the girl spoke shyly.
"Did I give you permission to do such an activity that commoners do?" Cornelia said.
"N-No mother..." Ymir said as she looked down to her hands.
"Put them away. I don't want to see such revolting activities done by you again. And stop humming. It irritates me." She said and the young girl did just that.
Ymir. She was a young girl with the same colored hair as Cornelia but wore her hair in a long braid. She wanted to wear a normal black dress, but her mother made her wear the horrible black feather dress that matched her mother's. Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to rip off the bloody dress. It was itchy, uncomfortable, hard to move in, tight and far too fancy for her taste. It's like her mother is trying to purposely humiliate her. But....her thoughts wandered back to the little pegasus. That warmth it's nuzzling and playing with them. Animals did not judge people. They did not look down on others. They cared about people regardless of who they are. They know when they see a bad person. She sighed as she looked out to the green haired girl. She looked so happy...she wished she had gotten to talk to her, but her mother would never allow her to do such a thing......
"Don't you want this to be over......?"
There it was again.... that whisper....
- 6 Hours Later: Kingdom Capital: Fhirdiad-
After a whole six hours of going through the snowy road, Arisa could not believe her eyes as they were at the gates of the Kingdom Capital: Fhirdiad. Unfortunately, she won't be able to enter for sightseeing because her family already had to leave. She had decided to say her goodbyes to the children. What the poor girl did not expect was being hugged by five wonderful children. Dimitri, Lestia, Ingrid, Felix, and even Sylvain were all hugging the girl in a group hug, and one that she could not escape unless she spoke the right words.
"No, don't go!!" Dimitri cried as he looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
"My heart.... this hurt!!" Sothis weeped.
"Stay big sis!!" Lestia did the exact same move as Dimitri.
"Are they trying to kill us with all this cuteness?!" Sothis was melting.
"We want to play more!!" Felix said.
"Pppllleeaaseee!!" Ingrid begged.
"Maybe we can get to know each other better!!!" Sylvain said.
"This is quite the predicament. Your daughter has won the hearts of all of them!!" King Lambert chuckled as both Rodrigue and Jeralt sighed, watching the children, refusing to let Arisa go.
Zander mentally groans and walked over to the group, trying to pull his little sister and brother off the girl but damn!!! They had grips of iron!!
"So, how are things for you?" Arisa heard Sothis laugh and the girl just sighed as she tried to wiggle herself free.
Seems that was a signal for the children to finally let go.
She smiled to each of them kindly and thanked Zander for trying to help.
"Everyone, I promise we'll meet again one day. So please don't cry because you will all make me cry. This isn't goodbye forever." She said.
"Good!!! Let's guilt trip her!!!" Lestia thought as she made her puppy eyes bigger.
My my......quite the schemer we have...
Dimitri came up to her and hugged her once more. The girl was a bit shocked but hugged him back once more. He let go of her and nodded.
"Okay...but...." he smiled and held his pinky up, "pinky promise that we'll meet again?" He said.
This was it......she needed to do it.
The rest of the children did the same with their pinkies up and Arisa just melted.
"Pinky promise." She said and their pinkies connected.
None of them noticed that her eyes had become a brown shade of color. She cupped Dimitri's cheeks and gently kissed his forehead. The boy's eyes went wide, and a few girls can be heard squealing. Dimitri blinked as he looked up to her eyes. Weren't they green...? King Lambert laughed at this while Sandy just patted Jeralt's back, who has turned to stone. No, it was far too early for boys to already have their eyes on his daughter!!
"That is my promise to you Dimitri. I will be seeing you again one day." Arisa smiled kindly to him as she hugged him tightly.
"I'm looking forward to it." Dimitri smiled and hugged her back.
She did the same to Felix, Sylvain, Lestia and Ingrid and a head pat to Glenn and Zander, who the two became embarrassed. She got into her wagon and she waved goodbye to the children as they all wished her good luck and hoped to see her once more. Jeralt was internally taking notes to keep an eye on the boys if they ever meet his daughter again.
As the wagon rode off into the sunset, and passed Cornelia's carriage, it was only for a moment, but Ymir's and Arisa's eyes made contact before they turned their attention back to their parents.
"Sighhhhh...." Arisa let go of a long sigh as she laid on the blankets that were set for her to sleep on.
Sandy was riding her horse next to her father. The two adults talked about the mission the fine reward they got. What's more the look of shock Sandy had when Jeralt told her he turned down the offer to become a general of the Kingdom Knights. Arisa's brown colored eyes had turned back to green, as she hugged her cloak closer to her and made herself into a burrito. Sothis appear and looked down sadly at the girl.
"You cast the spell, didn't you?" Sothis said as she floated down and snuggle down next to Arisa.
"Yeah...when I kissed their foreheads and when I patted Glenn's and Zander's heads. I cast the spell. Now, my face will be nothing but a blur to them. Even my voice." Arisa said.
Sothis sighed and looked at the girl sadly. To go so far...for the children's sakes.
"For you to go so far......even if this causes you pain, it's better for their sakes. Arisa, you're a strong girl." Sothis smiled sadly.
Arisa nodded and truthfully, she was holding back tears. She didn't want any of them to forget her. But this was an important and painful choice. She saw the dangers each one would face if they became friends with her. Even more because the Kingdom were devoted believers of The Teachings of Serios. The Crest system...just them knowing her spelled their doom. She needs her mind to stop thinking about this.
"In time flows......see the glow...of flames ever burning bright...on the swift.... river's drift, broken memories alight...aaaaaahhh.....eeeeeyyaaaa.aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh...."
Arisa began to sing softly, remembering this song was one of her favorites to listen to when she was doing homework. The Song of Nabateans. It was also sung in the dream she had a few weeks ago. Sothis was silent, as her eyes slowly went wide as a blurry memory returned to her.
"That song.... I feel that I have heard it in the past......" Sothis said as Arisa continued to sing.
"Actually...It is not that I have heard it. I....Did I once sing that song to someone? No. There's more. I wrote this song...Oh but how can that be so?" Sothis said.
"What's wrong?" Arisa stopped singing.
"Tell me...if that were true, how could you be singing it? Unless...no..no..." Sothis said, suddenly exhausted.
Arisa smiled sadly and spoke.
"I used to hear a woman singing this song. I loved hearing her sing it and I began to sing the song myself. You can say...it held a lot of emotions that I am familiar with." Arisa said.
"Interesting. Who is this woman?" Sothis asked.
"We'll meet her one day. I'm still 15 years too young to meet her." Arisa said, referring to Rhea.
"I see. Out of curiosity, what is her name?" Sothis said.
"Well, she goes by Rhea, but her real name is Serios." Arisa said.
"Serios......Serios....I know that name...Yaaawwnnn....I'm going to sleep. Sweet dreams Arisa." Sothis said and fell asleep.
"Sweet dreams Sothis..."
- Later at Night: Tailtean Plains: Town Mansion -
"Hyaaa!!!" With a staff in her hands, Ymir created a fireball using her magic and aimed it at the wooden golem that was coming her way to attack.
"Kyyaa!!" She yelled and quickly dodged the wooden sword coming her way.
The fireball hit it, but it didn't do enough damage. Why was it always fire magic her main weakness...?
"Grr......" she forced herself up and noticed the disapproving looks of the servants watching.
She hated every single servant in this household along with the butler that served her mother. All the previous servants that were here in this mansion were kind and loving. Their loyalty was to her father, who had passed away 1 year ago. Each servant and chef were fired and kicked out. They were all replaced with the current ones that had skin pale as white stone. She gritted her teeth and screamed as the wooden sword hit down on her shoulder with force. She felt it crack.
"Tch...weak like usual. At this rate, she'll mange... " her mother's butler sighed in disappointment.
"Weak....weak...." those words repeated themselves in her mind as she held her shoulder.
"Shshshshshshshsh~ my aren't we are in trouble..."
The voice...it whispered again. But. Much more clearly. Ymir fell to her knees, praying that the butler, Lawson, would stop the wooden golem, but no.
"Aren't you going to stop it?" One maid said to him.
"Of course not. By Lady Cornelia's order, the girl is to learn her lesson." He stated and the maid just shrugged.
"Might as well let the brat die at this rate." The maid said and many others snickered at this.
"Shut....up...." Ymir whispered as the wooden sword came down on her once more but this time....
One maid narrowed her eyes as she noticed one of the flower vases in the room had frost growing on it.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
All the servants screamed and ran for their lives as the entire room sudden was frozen over and huge crystals of ice covered the walls and floors of the training field. Ymir was the lone girl that was on her knees, looking at the golem with wide but void eyes. When she snapped out of it, she screeched. She looked up and noticed a strange symbol that dissolved too fast before she had a good look at it. The golem in front of her shattered like glass to the ground. Lawson's eyes were wide, but he grinned as he went to report what just happened to Lady Cornelia. Ymir quickly stood up and ran to her room, closing it shut.
"Wha...wha...." she gasped and ran to the restroom and removed her dress quickly, looking at herself in the mirror.
"My shoulder...it's healed?!" She screeched.
"My my...."
She covered her ears, not wanting to hear the whisper again.
"Everything is a liar...." she heard and shook her head.
No, no, no!! She refused to hear these whispers!!! They are all fake!!! They are made up!!! She needs bath...that's right!! A warm bath will help her clear her mind!! She always loved a nice warm bath.
- Cornelia's Office -
"The entire training room is frozen?" Cornelia could not believe her ears.
"Correct my Lady. I wish you were there to see it but.... such power and coldness!!! It is possible that she possesses a major crest!!" Lawson said.
Cornelia hummed as she stood up. She wanted to see the place herself.
"Let us go Lawson. I wish to see this myself." She said as he opened the door to the hallways.
The two walked to the training room and as the doors opened, Cornelia's eyes went wide. Each wall was covered in ice. The floors were frozen solid. The giant spears of ice had an eerie unnatural color blue. Cornelia could not help but smile seeing this as she was about to walk into the room but was stopped by her butler.
"My lady, I would not recommend touching anything in the room. Let me show you what I mean." He said as he walked over to flower vase and picked one.
He threw the rose onto the floor and it instantly began to freeze.
"I don't even want to imagine what would happen if any of us touched it. Have you contacted Solon?" Cornelia said and Lawson nodded.
"Of course. He will be arriving tomorrow along with the investigation team. They will remove this ice with the utmost care." Lawson said and she nodded.
"Now as for my daughter.... seems she inherited the Crest my Oh so lovely husband hid so well from me. Were any of the servants able to see what it looked like when she activated it?" Cornelia said.
"I'm afraid not." Lawson shook his head, "The Crest Symbol disappeared before any of us had a chance to see it. One of the servants did describe it felt as if they saw someone standing over Lady Ymir." He said.
"What? Someone was next to my daughter?" She said, shocked.
"From what they described......." Lawson said.
"It was evil!!! Pure evil!!! It laughed and giggled!!! It mocked everyone!!! It said everything is a liar!!!"
Cornelia was silent and placed her hand at the back of her neck again. There it was again...that feeling of dread. She needs to investigate this. Something just did not feel right...
- City Capital: Fhirdiad: Palace -
"You been awfully silent Lady Lestia. Something the matter?" A young girl with short bobbed red hair, dressed in a white lab coat with the royal blue mage dress of the Kingdom. Though it was heavily modified to suit her style, much to the horror of all the servants.
She wore black knee-high boots and a single green colored gem earring. Her eyes were an ivory color, but she wore a medium see through veil to cover her face.
"Hey, Emily, can you answer a question for me?" The princess said.
Lestia love visiting the infirmary in the palace, mainly because there was a single girl that would listen to her rants and because that girl was pretty much blunt with everything and didn't have a single problem pointing out everyone's bullshit. For a two-year-old to get along with a 10-year-old, that is extremely rare. Also, because the girl was very well-respected doctor despite her age. She was also a Crest bearer from a family that has served the royal family for generations.
"Depends what it is?" Emily said as she was busy circling the errors in a medical report. Damn these adults.
"Okay, so what happened today. The girl I was telling you about, she tried to erase my memories." Lestia said it like it was nothing and Emily did a double take hearing that, accidentally slamming her head onto the table.
"What?!" Emily said as she looked at the girl in shock.
"Yeah. But I can tell she didn't want to do it. Arisa didn't want to do it, but she felt she had to." Lestia said and Emily just groans.
"Bullshit!" The red-haired girl said.
(Well I wonder where the princess learns such language in the future...? Pppffttt!!!)
"First off!!" Emily pointed to her, "Why the hell would she do that is she did not want to?! Is that girl some idiot or something?! If she didn't want any of you to forget then why would she do that in the first place?!" She said.
"Maybe she was forced to?" Lestia shrugged her shoulders.
"No way!! Obviously, she is afraid." Emily sighed as she sat down next to her friend.
"Why would she be afraid?" Lestia said and Emily just shook her head.
"I think that girl, Arisa? May be a Crest barer like us...." she said saw Lestia instantly frown.
"Now before you say anything, let me explain. First off, everyone thinks you bare the same Crest as your twin brother but in reality, you don't. And it's thanks to the hidden ability of yours that you can hide the identity of that Crest. Second, that girl may know more than what anyone thinks. Third, she may have been doing it for the safety of every single one of you. That girl sounds wiser than her years. Look, I'm saying this from personal experience. She wants you to forget her but not forget her. Know what I mean?" Emily said as she finished her explanation.
"I kinda get it. Still, if everyone else has forgotten her...then I'll be the only one to greet her with, "Welcome back!" If we meet her again! I like her!!! You should have seen the way my brother was looking at her!!! Ahh!!! I can totally see her as my sister-in-law in the future!!" Lestia swung her legs excitedly while Emily just had a bead of sweat ran down her face hearing that.
"Princess, has anyone ever told you that you are terrifying?" The older girl said and Lestia just gave her a cunning smile that would remind you, the reader, of a certain schemer.
"And who's fault was it leaving that book of human anonymity wide open? Your fault people think I act like you!! Your fault I don't act like a two-year-old!" Lestia grinned.
"True. Anyhow, have you seen any changes of behavior with your brothers and friends?" Emily asked.
Lestia sighed and nodded. She looked out the glass window and into the starry sky.
"Yeah. Ingrid said that she wanted to play with "big sis" but she doesn't remember who that is. Sylvain said that even though he doesn't remember who stood up for him, he will forever be grateful to them. Miklan has been refusing to even go near Sylvain but doesn't know why. Glenn is mad. He can't remember who his rival is. Felix says he wants the apple blend tea and pound cake, but Jakob can't even come close to the taste of the one she made. Zander is like, oh well. "But I know they are a pretty girl!". As for Dimitri...." she looked over to her friend worried, "She really did have a big impact on him. She did save his life after all. And he's getting frustrated he can't remember their face nor voice. I do think he'll be back to normal in a few days." Lestia said.
Emily nodded and looked out to the starry sky too.
"I hope so. At least your older brother isn't like that one kid you met in the Empire when you went to get some clothing. What was his name again?" She said.
Lestia stood up and began doing a silly pose with her hand under chin.
"I am Ferdinand von Aegir!!" Lestia said proudly in a mocking tone.
There was a good 15 seconds of silence before Emily burst out laughing and was rolling on the floor, holding her stomach.
"My sides!!! That is too much Lestia!!! Ahahahaha!!" Emily repeated slapped her hand on the floor repeatedly.
"I will admit, he was kind of cute. Not my type though." Lestia giggled and Emily wheezed as she looked up to her friend.
"What is...ahaha...your type then...ahaha!!" Emily said.
"Hmmmm.......Is it bad that it's someone like Glenn and that kid...Linhardt?? I think that was his name." Lestia said.
"Wait wha...?" Emily just looked at her friend like she grew a second head.
- With Dimitri -
Dimitri couldn't sleep. He just couldn't. He kept tossing and turning. Seeing a blurry image in his mind of someone he said goodbye to today. He couldn't remember. He knows they were kind. That they promised him something...but what?
"Why....why can't......" he mumbled to himself and back up, frustrated.
He was trying to remember. Who? Who were they? Who? They were gentle and kind. They were warm. They had a radiant smile. Their eyes.... especially their eyes. We're they green.... or brown? Why....it was nothing but a blur.... why?! It was like a foggy memory in the distance. It was going away. He didn't want it to go away. A frown appeared on his lips.
"Name....what was.... your name...?" He asked himself.
He remembers he asked their name. But not even that he could remember. It... was frustrating. The face was nothing but a blur in his mind. He wasn't the only one experiencing this. Felix, Ingrid, Sylvain, Zander and even Glenn could not remember her face. Why...?
Arisa did not know how much this affected Dimitri and it will show itself in the future.
- Back with Cornelia-
Sitting in her bed after getting out of a nice relaxing hot bath, Ymir was reading a book about weapon forging. It was her favorite thing to read since her father was a former blacksmith. He would talk about the types of weapons he would create and how he and her uncle would work together to invent new ones. Her mother on the other hand, did not like it one bit. She called it a foolish dream. Ymir hated that. She wants to build. To create. It was always that feeling inside of her to create and build. If she could, she would read and study the art of weapon forging all her life. Ahh, but being the daughter of a prodigy medical mage, much more, royal court mage, was not something she liked. Not one bit. Especially since she was always made to do extreme magic training that would kill a normal child if she did not bare a crest.
"Ymir, come here." Cornelia's voice suddenly rang in her head.
She flinched hearing the voice of her mother and put the book down on a table. She got off her bed and existed her room, heading towards the office down the main hall.
"Lady Ymir, Lady Cornelia waits for you." Lawson said and the young girl nodded.
She knocked on the door and heard her mother's voice to come in.
"Yes mother?" The girl said, nervously.
"Good, you are here. Come to me." Cornelia motioned her with her index finger.
Ymir was afraid. Very much afraid. She prayed to the goddess that she was not in trouble for the huge mess she caused in the training room. As she walked up, a magic circle appeared underneath her and her hair glowed a light blue color. Above her, a strange symbol appeared. Cornelia face held no emotion as the circle disappeared and so did the symbol. Her hair turned back to normal and saw her mother with an eerie calm joyful smile.
"How lovely!!! You possess a major crest!!! You truly are the heir to this household." Cornelia said joyfully.
"Mother, what is going on?" Ymir asked and her mother simply smiled.
"Today is a day of celebration. In three days, you will begin your training in ice magic. I have very...high expectations for you." Cornelia smiled.
Oh, she did. Especially now that she knows her daughter bared the mayor Crest her husband hid. Now the question was, what crest was it? Solon will tell her in a few days.
She dismissed Ymir and the girl, once she left the room, bolted to her own. She hugged the book she was reading to her chest and wanted nothing more than to cry. How she wished for the old days where she would visit her father in his workshop and watch him forge swords with the strange tools he had.
"Papa I miss you......."
Chapter 6: Mourning Souls: Memories Blur: End
[ ----- ]
Ghaaa!!! I'll explain, I'll explain!!! (Dodging angry swords) Why did I throw in like, like 5 new characters? One, like I said before, this story takes place during Byleth's/Arisa's childhood years. They will be having crucial roles in the future. Especially Ymir, Emily, Lestia and Zander. Ymir is the most crucial one of all because she will be one of the major keys I have plans for. Lawson was created to give more character and to show the more vicious and cunning side of Cornelia that she hides when she is with the royal family. As we all know, she didn't show her true colors till the time skip in the Azure Moon route and a bit in the Crimson Flower route. She is barely mentioned in the Church and Golden Deer Routes. I wanted to give Cornelia the spotlight that is needed. Especially how we find out who she was truly working with. Lawson is a character created to give more effect to this.
Ymir. But that isn't her real name. Ymir is the name her mother, Cornelia, gave her after her father mysteriously passed away. Now, in the actual game, Cornelia doesn't have a daughter, but this story is an AU. So, I'm going to have fun. More about Ymir will be revealed. She was inspired by Mashu from Fate Grand Order, Seele from Honkai Impact 3 and Christa from Attack on Titan. This also ties with the goals of Those Who Slither in the dark. She'll have main role soon.
Emily and Lestia. Their true purpose has yet to be revealed but I decided to reveal a bit of their character and personality in this chapter. Zander has yet to show his true colors like the other two. Emily, Lestia and Zander won't be appearing for a good 4-5 chapters. Maybe a few flashbacks but that's it.
The impression Arisa left on Dimitri is similar to the impression Byleth left to him when the game first starts. All these are key points for the character development that is yet to come. We see it but slowly as we progress through the story. That's why I created Emily and Ymir especially. Emily specially to call out people. XD